Make your own gift wrap – Jack writes “This year as I was putting together Christmas gifts, I realized that I’d forgotten to pick up a roll of wrapping paper. At this point, I recalled the Make-a-Flake site I came across a while ago, and it hit me that I could prevent another trip to the store and at the same time, make custom wrapping paper for each of my giftees. Win-win!” Link.
Here’s a great how to on Instructables on making a pedal powered air compressor, Aaron writes – “replace the electric motor of an air compressor with modified bicycle drivetrain. pedal. keep pedalling…use the existing motor mount to install an axle with one fixed cog and a belt pulley. You’ll need bearings. try a 1/2″ axle with radial ball bearing cartridges. make the bearing housing out of a slotted tube that has a drilled out nut and a regular nut to allow a bolt to tighten the tube around the bearing….” Link.
Great (old) project from Rocketboom’s Andrew – “This project was designed to create an isolated box which can be placed inside of an elevator to play dramatic sound designs based on the direction and altitude of an elevator. A microprocessor chip is stamped with conditionals to determine the location of the elevator based on barometric pressure and then pulses are sent to trigger an mp3 player which, when amplified, plays out from a complex set of musical relationships to create a dramatic and playful experience for the unassuming passengers.” Link.
Pretty good list of some starter circuits for many projects…“a list of the top ten most needed circuits that are a must know for anyone interested in DIY projects. These are the basics that can all be interchanged and used in conjunction with each other to make many of the projects that we all love so much.” Link.
Great how to on detecting a laser pointer “break” using a serial port – Chard writes “Ever wanted to make your own laser beam security system. You know the kind they have in the movies, with dozens of lasers and the thief has to limbo through them. Well, I just made a simple laser beam break detector. My computer can now tell when the beam is broken. The parts I used are: 5.6k resistor, photo diode, Digikey part #PDB-V107-ND, serial port from my PC…” Link.
“Edible Estates is the brainchild of Fritz Haeg, who has made it his mission to replace the water-guzzling, pesticide-drenched grasslands of American front yards with functional, fruitful plots filled with all things edible. The first lawn revival took place in Salina, Kansas, where a family offered up their conventional front yard for transformation and vowed to maintain the garden as a living, thriving edible installation.” [via] Link. Reminds me of the self reliance efforts of WWII and Victory gardens.
Here’s a great new Instructable in the Make group on building a five foot tall Jacob’s ladder from Ewilhelm, he writes “This classic climbing arc completes any mad scientist’s dungeon. Don’t touch the electrodes: they’re at 12 kV! Get a neon sign transformer rated for 9 – 12 kV and 30 mA. Make sure it’s an old style, heavy coil transformer and not solid-state. The solid-state transformers won’t start the arc. I got a Transco 12 kV 30 mA transformer on Ebay for $35. It didn’t have a wall plug, so I wired one on.”… Link.
